Independent living starts from home

Places for People is proud to participate in Starts at Home Day, a campaign organised by the National Housing Federation to highlight the vital difference supported housing makes to thousands of people every day. This year’s campaign focuses on the value of care and support services and the difference that having a safe and secure place to call home can make to people’s lives. As a provider who supports 4,500 Customers with vulnerabilities or complex needs, our specialist services allow people to live independent, and fulfilling lives in a safe environment.

Tom Brown, Director of Places for People Living Plus, discusses the work done in the past year to support our Customers in living fulfilling and independent lives through our services. 

Our specialist supported living services aim to create innovative solutions that improve the lives of our most vulnerable Customers, from people with complex needs to people over 55. Whether it be through developing their independent living skills or supporting their mental and physical Wellbeing, our team is dedicated to enhancing the lives of those with additional needs, no matter their backgrounds and past experiences.

We all work as a team to ensure our Customers can find a suitable home that meets their specific needs and gives them every opportunity to develop their confidence in a safe place they can call home. This commitment was evident when our Acquisitions Team supported Spencer, a young individual with autism and complex needs, in finding a home.

Due to his additional needs, Spencer’s family felt it was time for him to live independently and still receive quality support from a care provider. The team worked tirelessly to find the ideal for Spencer, regularly communicating with Spencer’s mother to ensure she had input into the type of home he required and the location. His requirements included being close to the family home and having a decent outdoor space because Spencer liked to be outside. The team found a home that was a 7-minute walk from the family home, had the outdoor space, and needed minimal renovations to meet his specific needs. Since moving in, the individual has settled into their home well, so much so that they are leading a much more independent life than the family could imagine. 

Read more about how we found the perfect home for Spencer.

We have also taken great strides in our Retirement Living services, including opening our doors to Customers at Spinnaker View, an over-55 service based in Gosport. In the past year, we have had Customers such as Lily, who has loved living at Spinnaker View and the sense of Community that comes with the place. 

Like many of our Customers, Lily enjoys her independence, and Spinnaker View provided that with her modern apartment, knowing that the service has an on-site care and support team, which she can contact 24/7 if she needs any support. With on-site communal facilities, and even a wellness suite, Spinnaker View is an example of our commitment to investing in the quality of support and homes we offer to Customers, and it is within these homes, that people can thrive and live independently. 

Read more about how we helped Lily to live independently. 

Our commitment moving forward

Starts at Home is a reminder that work must still be done to support vulnerable people nationwide. 

We are working with local commissioners to do much more. This includes looking at developing larger, mixed-tenure supported living complexes, supporting working-age adults with support needs to avoid more costly healthcare interventions down the track, and increasing dementia specialisms and action. We are calling upon the government and other authorities to collaborate with us to create conditions and financial models that will allow these plans to be successful.